December 30, 2018 - Christmas 1C

Collect, Old Tesament, and Psalm; Epistle and Gospel

In the name of God ☩ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            Don’t you just hate it when you lose something? You can’t remember where you put your keys or an important document. It’s even worse when you can’t find someone you love. Several weeks ago, one of our dogs got out of the yard and was missing for a few hours. It was scary. I drove around the neighborhood calling his name to no avail. But then he showed up at our front door a few hours later. And he didn’t know he was lost, he just thought he was having an adventure. And that’s the thing about being lost, it all depends on your perspective. Often people who are lost don’t think they are lost. But when you can’t find them, the sense of panic can be overwhelming.

September 23, 2018 - Proper 20B

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ☩ one God and mother of us all. Amen.

            Today’s Gospel text from Mark is iconic, and I mean that literally. Sunday School classrooms and nurseries around the world have paintings of Jesus taking a little child into his arms as he teaches his disciples that “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” The reason why this Biblical scene so often appears in relation to ministry with children is that it is a sweet and endearing depiction of Jesus. The image seems to reassure nervous parents that it’s okay to leave your child under the watchful eye of Jesus. And certainly, commending our loved ones to God’s care and keeping is a good thing to do. But this enacted parable that Jesus offers about children coming to him is not, at its root, a story about a cuddly Jesus; rather it gives us a radical and subversive example what it means to follow Jesus.

March 29, 2018 - Maundy Thursday

Lectionary Readings

In the name of God ☩ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” As we enter into the Triduum, it is fitting that our Savior puts us in the mind of love. Though the word “Passion” which we use to describe this week comes from Latin meaning “to suffer,” and not our romantic sense of passion, it is fitting to have love on our minds in Passiontide. What compelled Jesus to wash his disciples feet was love, what drove him to give up his body was love, and what animates his Resurrection is love.

March 24, 2016 - Maundy Thursday

Lectionary Readings

In the name of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            Tonight we enter the Triduum, the three holiest days in our liturgical year. It’s not that other days aren’t holy, but Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter provide the essence of the entire Christian story. Love, sacrifice, and redemption are the themes of the Christian life and those are the themes of the Triduum.

April 12, 2015 - Easter 2B

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

            Often this Sunday is referred to as “Low Sunday” because, well, after the highs of joy and attendance last week, today seems rather low. And while I wish that every Sunday had the church packed like it did last week, that’s just not the way it works. Mountaintop experiences are great and wonderful, but you can’t stay there. And so, for me, the question for today isn’t “where did everyone go?” or “do people really think that Jesus wants us to show up on Easter and then forget about church until Christmas?” No, the question to be asking today is “so what?” The Lord is risen, but so what?